April 8: It's Always Something

by Mackey Chandler

  * * *

  Barak read the message again, to make sure there wasn't some kind of catch or slippery disclaimer beyond the obvious one. It didn't ask any sort of release. If there was some trick to it he couldn't see it. Alice was working and he wasn't supposed to call her, but Deloris was free to take messages even though she was on call.

  "Yes, I got a message too," Deloris said, from just the look on his face, before he could speak.

  "Does it look genuine to you?" Barak asked. "I mean, they say it's contingent on the success of the current mission, but do you think they are going to play games with us and define success so narrowly we'll get cut off without anything again?"

  "I don't think so. This isn't some sudden attack of conscience," Deloris said. "It's been a couple months now, and as much as I'd like to believe in the tooth fairy, she doesn't suddenly credit your account and make a deposit under your pillow because she's been laying awake at night worried you got shorted. No, somebody jabbed them with a sharp stick and shamed them. This is a PR move to make them look better to...someone.

  "One of your friends," Deloris decided, looking shrewd, "because I don't know anybody with enough mojo to make them worry about how they look. That's fine with me. I don't care who laid the word on them. I'll take it and pretend it was their generous nature that finally caught up with them."

  "Yeah, it could be one of three...four...Well, maybe five people," Barak guessed, frowning.

  Deloris was amused watching him ponder potential benefactors. From someone else she'd take it as bragging. Barak didn't have it in him.

  "I thought about trying to make a big enough stink to force them do something like this back when we were staying at your mom's. A whisper campaign, and some veiled comments on local net sites. Not the sort of an issue I'd have the guts to bring up with an Assembly, since they paid us by our contracts just fine. I just didn't have the stomach for it. Alice said pretty much the same thing, and we both decided to hell with them. We'd just never work for them again."

  "You never spoke to me about that," Barak said.

  "Well yeah. I have to admit we were afraid you might get all idealistic and decide it wasn't fair and you were going to Do Something."

  When Barak looked a little hurt, Deloris explained. "That sort of a campaign, to pressure somebody with public opinion is a delicate thing. If you complain too loudly it can go the other way. People can get tired of hearing your complaint, and before you even notice, it has totally backfired on you. You can end up making others not want to hire you if they fear you'll do the same to them. We love you, but you're still a bit short on experience compared to us."

  "Yeah, sometimes I know that, and sometimes I don't," Barak admitted. "But I'm still a little miffed you guys didn't talk to me about it."

  "Fair enough. I'll talk to Alice about it," Deloris promised. "How much did they promise you?"

  "Twenty thousand kilograms for exemplary service, and a five thousand kilogram bonus for duty at personal risk, in unavoidably hazardous conditions. Raw pumpable water from cometary grade ice, FOB their returned iceball in trans-lunar halo orbit," Barak read off his message.

  "Mine says Twenty thousand for blah-blah service, and a five thousand bonus for taking command beyond grade and experience. I bet anything you want to risk, that Alice's reads the same, but the bonus for some other quality better matching her specialty," Deloris said.

  "No thank you," Barak declined. "It may be a windfall, but it was hard-won enough I don't want to throw it away on a stupid wager."

  "See? You're still green, but you're getting smarter by the day," Deloris said.

  * * *

  "Com is back up," Aukusti said, "You could have told me you were safe and coming back."

  "Didn't need to," Jaako said, scowling at his brother. "I made the delivery, got a receipt. You didn't ask for anything else."

  "There was fighting. We were worried about you," Aukusti said.

  "Bah, if you're going to worry about every little thing go deliver it yourself. You can worry where it might do some good. I'll stay here and do you the favor of assuming you know what you are doing and will be just fine without fretting about you."

  "I know you know what you are doing," Aukusti said, exasperated. "Things happen that don't depend on you. It could have been dangerous."

  "Fine, figure out how much the hazard pay is worth and put it on my account." Jaako agreed.

  "So you didn't have any problems?" Aukusti asked.

  "I didn't have any problems, but it's always something. The idiots over there are all in a tizzy, unsure what they even want. If they keep it up we need to add a stupid tax for wasted time on delivery to their dock."

  "Just tell me what happened," Aukusti demanded.

  "I locked up to the dock, went back through the truck and there was some dimwit in a superhero costume standing at the port com. He's wearing a pair of pistols at the dock like he's some kind of border patrol or customs agent. He tells me they aren't receiving freight today because they're having a revolution. I told him that's no concern of mine, revolt all you want, I have twenty cases of produce that will be mulch tomorrow if I don't off-load it. People have to eat even when they're revolting, maybe more so if it's a lot of work.

  "He says there probably won't be anybody come and take it to the kitchens, just take it back.

  "So I asked his name...

  "He got all suspicious, and wants to know why I want his name.

  "Because somebody is going to be responsible and pay for the refused goods, probably you, I say. Not the fellow laying on the deck with all the holes in him."

  "Wait, back up. You didn't say anything about a guy on the deck. Dead I take it?" Aukusti asked.

  "I'd assume so, he certainly wasn't moving and this guy didn't seem to be too torn up about it. He didn't have the orange thing on," Jaako said, touching his sleeve, so I figure he's on the other side."

  "Which side?" Aukusti demanded. "Rebel or the regular Armstrong guys, the USNA?"

  "Well the dead guy had some sort of a uniform on. I mean, it looked like a uniform, but without any of the stuff they put on, patches and metal stuff and what do you call it?" he asked drawing a rectangle on his shoulder with his fingers.

  "Ah, metals, service ribbons, fruit salad," Aukusti supplied.

  "Yeah, the orange rag on the vertical guy's arm definitely looked like something improvised, so... rebel I'd guess. I didn't ask. None of my business," Jaako insisted.

  "But you said you delivered it," Aukusti remembered.

  "Yeah, he said take it back, and he didn't like it, but he told me his name is Porter. I said fine, I'm going to use the toilet there in the coffee room and buy a cup and I'll take the truck back to Central. Well nothing was going to make this guy happy. Whatever you wanted to do he just automatically didn't want you to do. So he says I can't go 'wandering around' to use the restroom, just leave.

  "I told him it's an hour back to Central, I'm not going to make a mess in my truck, so I turned away to some freight they had stacked there and started to unzip. He freaks out like he never had to go where the urge strikes you, and yells at me to go use the restroom." Jaako just rolled his eyes.

  "Then when I come back, I mean, he's already flip-flopped and changed his mind once, so I ask him if we can't punch the arrival in the dock com and at least see if the system is up? Glory be, he agrees to give it a shot. It acknowledged as sweet as can be, just like it's supposed to, and a bot come rolling and loaded everything on a cart.

  "I doubt this guy has ever seen a truck unloaded. He seemed to think a whole bunch of people would line up and pass boxes. If it didn't head off to the kitchens I don't know where it went, but I got the confirmation code for delivery, so it don't matter to me if it piled the crap in the corridor somewhere. I did my part," Jaako insisted.

  "You did, brother. But he might have got tired of you arguing and shot you," Aukusti worried.

  "Ha! Can you just imagine what our Lady would do if they sta
rt shooting her people for giving them a little lip?" Jaako asked. "They just think they had some trouble with the Earthies."

  * * *

  "Mr. Lewis, I'm Kenji Mishima for Mitsubishi Aerospace," The man was new to Bob, middle aged and well groomed and wearing a very well tailored suit that subtly said Hong Kong instead of London. He was utterly lacking any life extension therapy, Robert could tell at a glance.

  "There has been a change in the ownership status of Mitsubishi 3. The North American corporation has been dissolved and its assets transferred to the parent company. It was a wholly owned subsidiary registered in Delaware, so there was little difficulty doing so. Yesterday, the USNA Congress was required by the military government to meet in a late night session and impose a wide range of capital controls we can't accept. The new laws demand the entire income of foreign operations must be funneled through North American banks in dollars, and subject to greatly increased taxation.

  "They may decline our filings to dissolve, but there is little they can really do since the real assets are now in translunar orbit beyond their reach. We used a common agent who represented thousands of corporation, so there weren't significant assets in North American accounts, or even a physical office. Our original charter only addressed an intent to build a facility in Low Earth Orbit, so we've been out of line with the original intent for some time now. You'll be getting new documents that reflect the name change and as little as possible will be changed otherwise."

  "I suspect they may find other ways to express their displeasure," Robert Lewis said. "I'm sure you must have other North American interests."

  "That's one reason we haven't done this sooner. Mitsubishi has other interests and physical assets they may move on, now that we removed our North American ties for M3. The foundations of our North American banking operation are safe at this time. That's not to say they have been immune from the disruptions affecting the country, but moving against our bank operations would hurt them at this point. We saw this coming and have positioned ourselves to minimize our loses."

  "You were already paying me in Australian dollars on a Private Bank account," Bob pointed out. "How does this affect our relationship?" He thought about it and frowned..."Assuming we still have a relationship. Am I still employed or is this a dismissal notice? I've been grappling with the idea of quitting, so if you're firing me it will resolve my indecision for me."

  "Not at all. We're not unhappy with your performance," Kenji insisted. "What has you thinking about leaving after such a long run? We're aware of the labor shortage and economic boom. Are you tempted by other opportunities? Mitsubishi has the advantage of being a very stable low risk employer."

  "Well the business climate does make a move easy," Robert agreed. "But I'm not sure I see my position as low risk. We're in a very odd situation here. We have very few laws and aren't adopting any Earth code of laws. So the body of laws is growing very slowly, and there is a great deal of uncertainty. Home does not recognize corporations, so that puts corporations like Mitsubishi in a sort of limbo until there are more rulings, which right now means from case law."

  "Are you concerned Home will nationalize the structure of the habitat? Quite a few of us were surprised that didn't happen immediately when you seceded," Kenji admitted.

  "No, public opinion runs very deeply to preserve property rights. People want to avoid the direction things took on Earth, and North America in particular, since most of our citizens either lived there or lived under USNA law here. For example, if I tried to introduce the concept of forfeiture at the next Assembly I'd be dead the next day. I'd be called out and there would be a line of applicants demanding to be second, third and so forth, to put a bullet between my eyes. They won't steal your corporation's property, but it would be difficult for them to decide who owns it at this point."

  "Not the shareholders?" Kenji asked, with interest.

  "No, if you reject the legal theory of corporations that's pretty hard to accept. We had a motion to allow corporations, second or third Assembly, and one of our people stood and gave a long speech on the history of how corporations started as out with a limited life, and as you mentioned, with a specific limited charter. Slowly those limits were corrupted until their rights eclipsed those of real persons, and they could subvert governments.

  "We have sole proprietorships and partnerships in which some real person is always responsible. If that is used as a basis for adjudicating any complaint against Mitsubishi then I'd expect to be treated as a partner in their eyes, with all of the liability of an individual and none of the protections of a corporation. I'm paid well, but not that well. My personal wealth won't cover a judgment if you don't reimburse me. And I'm definitely not paid well enough to accept a challenge to duel to settle some issue for Mitsubishi," Bob warned him.

  "I don't see the legal basis for that," Kenji objected.

  "The Assembly pretty much does what they feel is right at this point," Robert said. "They may make an effort to make a person whole...or they may decide to treat it as a criminal matter and punish the wrong-doer. There is no clear distinction yet between criminal and civil law. At this rate it's going to be years and years before we have a body of law that addresses most situations.

  "Not everybody here is of North American origins. We have people from European nations, India, Australia, even Japan. They all have diverse cultural ideas about what constitutes justice, and they can articulate their fondness for these ideas and sway a surprising number of people. One benefit is that almost everybody is cautious about bringing a case before the Assembly. I certainly am! You better be very sure of your righteousness, because they can provide a resolution you never expected. Of course that also delays building up case history that people avoid bringing actions."

  "I didn't understand your increased...exposure. I don't think anybody at Mitsubishi does. What can we do to adjust this, not just for you?" Kenji worried. "If you decide to move on it would be a large factor in trying to hire a replacement."

  "Make sure the resident manager knows how far you will go to settle judgments or fines. I may not have time to consult in the middle of a trial, so I need to know what you will pay without getting legal on com and trying to find somebody with authority to make a decision."

  That made Robert think. He should make something else clear. "We don't have lawyers, so you can't send someone to represent you in that capacity. You could appoint somebody to speak for you, but they wouldn't have any special standing.

  "I'm surprised though. I rather expected that I'd just be almost automatically let go for even considering the possibility of leaving the company," Bob said.

  "Perhaps fifty years ago." Kenji thought about it a moment. "Even as little as thirty years ago for management positions, but reality changes, and the reality is the needs of the company and the worker change so fast now that a lifetime of corporate fealty isn't practical."

  Robert Lewis gave him a little poke to see how he'd react to any mention of life extension therapy. "And that lifetime may be even longer soon, exacerbating the situation."

  "As you say, and we have no idea how that will play out, here or there," Kenji agreed blandly. "I shall instruct several clerks to search the minutes of your Assemblies, and assemble a summary of those discussions and decisions that might bear on to how they could treat Mitsubishi in the future. Once we reflect on those I'll see that a document is created to guide you in representing us if an issue should come before your Assembly. Is there anything else you require at this time?"

  Require was such a precise and unexpected word. Robert got the feeling Kanji said very little that wasn't quite precise. It felt like a question inside a question.

  "No. Thank you. That would be a tremendous help at this time," Robert agreed.

  "Then, until we have need of words again," Kanji said, with a nod that wasn't a bow at all.

  Robert looked at the blanked screen and reviewed everything in his mind. The more he thought on it, he was sure that if he'd
asked for money or perks it would have lessened the importance of his other request. He wasn't broke and the added security he stood to gain was worth far more than a few thousand dollars a month. He decided it went very well indeed, but he still worried there would be reprisals. They might be direct instead of aimed at other Mitsubishi interests, so he would alert Jon as head of the militia, and Mr. Muños in case issues were brought up in the Assembly. And April, yes he should let her know to pass word among her business partners and friends. If nothing else they should be reminded occasionally that the older generation were still players.

  Chapter 14

  "I'm sending you to Armstrong as a peer, because I want them to understand how important this is to us," Heather said. The fact she'd called Dakota down the hall to a face to face meeting emphasized its importance. They did a lot of everyday business on com.

  "If they give you any trouble about what you can load up and remove, tell them to talk to Dennis Harshaw. He never described himself as having any particular title, but if they don't know who he is something is very wrong and his committee to install a government isn't as big a whoop as he indicated. If that doesn't fix things call me, but I don't want you to take anything by force, at this point."

  "But maybe later?" Dakota asked.

  "Absolutely. We originally intended an armed raid to remove the equipment if we had to fight the Earthies. I'd still do that if we they renege on cooperating, but you aren't going to be equipped to do so. You're simply going to have technicians and movers to load stuff, not fight. If you had to fight there would be unnecessary casualties, on both sides, and possible damage to what we wanted in the first place. Also, initiating a fight while Dr. Holbrook is along to point out what he needs would be stupid. If he gets killed the whole reason for removing the stuff is pretty much gone. If we do have to use force I intend it to be overwhelming force that can act decisively at minimum risk."

  "Sounds good to me," Dakota agreed. "But I can still wear my pistol can't I?"